Michi Meko’s large-scale paintings, on view at the SCAD Museum of Art starting August 22, reflect the African American experience of navigating public spaces in the American South, inspired by a near-drowning that reshaped his connection to nature. While activities such as fishing or hiking have historically been fraught for Black individuals—often restrictively codified as “white” spaces in the U.S.—Meko’s exuberant art and passion for fly-fishing reclaim these nonurban sites, affirming that nature has always been a vital source of Black creative expression.
Blending gestural spray paint, white pencil navigational lines, and gold leaf accents that shimmer like night-sky beacons, Meko’s exhibition So Black and So Blue takes inspiration from Louis Armstrong’s interpretation of the jazz standard “(What Did I Do to Be So) Black and Blue,” Ralph Ellison’s evocation of the song’s racial protest dimensions, and Imani Perry’s groundbreaking text Black in Blues: How a Color Tells the Story of My People. Contextually and lucidly, Meko maps an optimistic framework of resilient expedition and profound change.
Exhibition dates: August 22, 2025 - January 4, 2026
